Blocker Boys On the Go!

     So if the previous update on kid happenings was not enough here comes the rest of the update.  Keep in mind that some of the things here happened simultaneously with the boys having their run through the illness list. I think I dealt pretty well with everything that went on while we were out and about.  The hubby did manage to get a lot of his qualifications completed while we were gone.  He is still waiting on one board, but that is not in his control.

     So at one point after the ear infections and respiratory  infections, but before the chicken pox and strep throat! The check engine light and TCS light came on in my van.  OH JOY! Not really I mean I knew it needed a tune up, but was not pleased with the warning lights.  So I took it in to get it fixed up.  All fixed up, and lots of money later the van is ready to go.  So as I am packing the van to leave for the second time I get called into the house.  K1 now has developed the chicken pox visibly.  We concluded that his chicken pox fever must have been masked by the strep throat fever so we thought he got out of them.  Glad I got the kids vaccinated for that! Oh well moving on.

     I decided to pack up my now itchy kid anyway and start my drive back home.  By this time we were already delayed by several days, and I just wanted to get home before anything else could spring up.  We hit the road later than I wanted to, but we were still on the road.  After driving until about midnight with multiple stops for K1 to pee, get gas, and walk the dogs we were not as far as I had hoped.  All in all the drive was uneventful and we made it home safe and sound.  Only down side was we arrived while hubby was on duty so we had to wait until morning to see him.

     I guess about two days after getting home we decided to go out for breakfast.  At first the gas pedal on the van was sticky.  After checking it out we blamed the extreme change in climate and temperature over a short time, and we continued on to breakfast.  On the way home the idle was not quite right, and the van kept revving up then dropping down it was odd.  After the boys took naps we decided to run over to the Navy Exchange to pick something up.  The van then proceeded to get worse as we arrived at the parking lot.  I spent the rest of the day googling the vans symptoms.  That weekend we drove it over to my brother-in-laws house he looked at it, and blamed the timing so we would have to take it in as we don't know anyone with the tools to fix that.  So another chunk of money later, and the van is running smoothly again.  Now we just have to get a slow oil leak from the oil pan drain plug fixed.  That however is waiting until I find some money after one of these pay days.

     To check out how I did on my weight loss and fitness journey visit Healthy Family Fitness .  I think that gets everyone up to date.  Now hopefully back to regular posting on both blogs.  I really think we have to be over that first of the year hill we were climbing up.  Thanks for reading, and leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by.

     Now don't get me wrong I love the cable guys.  Obviously I have an addiction to cable internet.  I however do not like seeing them at my neighbors house.  They were there all day fixing something.  No matter how bad I felt for my neighbor having some kind of technical difficulty in their home. I was totally irked when fixing it involved turning off the internet to my house.

     Yesterday I spent numerous hours resetting my router, and unplugging the cable modem.  I even took the time to ask the toddler if he had touched anything in the area of the modem and router.  Lets just say I thought I was loosing my mind, and would need to call the cable company.  Yet another thing I dislike sitting on hold for people to answer my question. Calling when the kids are awake is pointless so I waited.

     There is one point in the day where I get both kids napping at the same time for a few hours. In this short window I prefer to take a little me time I shoot for 30-45 minutes of what I want to do.  My time is usually used to play on the internet or read a book.  Yesterday I spent the entire time working on the internet.

     Then nap time was over, and I realized I did nothing else.  Now I have to begin dinner preps while the kids are both awake.  I was working at the sink when I hear "Mommy look a big truck."  So I meander on over to the window which my toddler is now occupying.  Sure enough there sits the cable truck.  Why did I not look outside all day?  I was certain we were having an equipment malfunction, and I was determined to fix it.  I watched for a while, and they made several trips up and down the poles.  Every time they went up I check my cable modem sure enough it went dead.  Now why did I not notice a dead modem all day?  They only flick it off for about a minute and then they turn it back on.  So all day by the time I would reach the modem after noticing a loss of connection to the computer, and it would be back on.

     To ensure my sanity I wandered down to ask the cable guy how long they had been working here.  The guy told me they had been there most of the day. Conclusion I am not crazy, and the modem and router work just fine.

     Here is to hoping for a cable guy free day.  So in those brief times where both kids are sleeping or occupied I can sneak on the internet.  I know all my mom readers out there appreciate their mom time during nap time.  So here is to nap time!!! The only quiet part of my day.

     I hope everyone's quiet down time goes smoothly today!

     On October 6th I had the pleasure to sit in on a tele-conference with Mama Fusion.  Below you will find my overview of the call,and my interpretation of Emily's plan.

     Do you feel lost in motherhood? Does it feel like society is pushing you to be June Cleaver?  Come see how one mom over came the pressure, and wants to help you break out.

     After the birth of her second daughter Emily felt lost.  She was unhappy, and generally felt that she was being a bad parent.  Her brain was telling her to do better at things like cooking gourmet meals, and having a pristine house.  Her heart's desire was buried under it all.

     She found she had been crushed under society's perfect picture of being a mother.  When she found the courage to step out, and be the mom she wanted to be life was better for the entire family. The relationship with her husband, and her kids improved.

     Before she found her focus she just stumbled through her everyday motions to try and fit society's picture.  Now she is spending more quality time with her kids and husband.  She had spent a large "quantity" of time with her family before, but the quality of that time was poor.  She spent it trying to decide what was the next step to fill the mold she thought she needed to fill.

     God made Emily to be a spunky free spirit.  What was God's design for you?  Sit back for a minute and think about all the things you like to do.  Does the world's perfect mold of parenting keep you from being the person inside that you miss and love?

     Is your inner self caked with the dirt of society's ideals?  Join Emily at Mama Fusion for Finding the Focus.  She will show you how to break free of the dirt and grime that society has thrown at you over the years.  Don't be what people have told you that you should or can be! Be the unique person that God designed you to be.

If you would like to hear a recording of the entire call.  Visit Mama Fusion's Monthly Call tab.

If you would like a chance to attend Finding the Focus for free the entry for is here.  The winner will be drawn on October 14th.

Ahhhhhhh the holidays are approaching.  Does stress around the holidays put you in a bahumbug mood? If so then swing on by www.mamafusion.com . She is starting a new program to help you deal with the stress, and gain clarity and direction in your life.

The below paragraph is a quoted directly from the Mama Fusion website.

Are you ready for less stress and more purpose?  Join me for a 5 week intensive group program, Finding the Focus, where we will delve into who you are and why you should LOVE that amazing woman!  Find out more details here: www.mamafusion.com/finding-the-focus.
Even better, one LUCKY lady is going to get the whole program for FREE!  A drawing will be held on October 14th through Rafflecopter.  Enter BELOW!!!


Alright your heard her lets get this form filled out for your chance to win your spot FREE!!

Lets all have a calm, cool, and collected holiday season this year!  Enjoy spending the time with loved ones.


 

 WARNING: Do not read any further if you do not want to hear about potty training type information.  This post includes poop, pee, and frustration.   



     My dear 2 year old is going to drive me off the deep end with this venture.  We started with the typical 3 day training plan.  I stared at his crotch for hours, and we ran to the potty all day for 3 days.  That worked for a bit he would run screaming to the potty after awhile, and there was no mess to clean for a few days.  He began to falter so we added M&M rewards for pee, and little toys like a new matchbox car for a poop success.  Our poop success ratio was very low.  I mean this kid must love pooping in his pants.  We finally got to about 2 weeks with an excellent potty record.  I for one am overjoyed.

     This triumph was however short lived.  I have tried everything I can think of to get him back to where he was.  Now days he just sits where ever he is  and tells us after he pees that he "Pee bed" or whatever may be the case.  Friday and today have me climbing the walls with frustration.  For the first time in 2 1/2 years he has decided to play in his poop, and put it on the wall.  So as to not encourage the behavior by getting upset I remained calm, and placed him in the shower to contain the poop.  Now add to the factor that my nearly 11 month old is every where and into every thing.  Now I have to catch and contain the little man before I can even begin cleaning the poop.

     So now I am asking for advice.  What do I do?  I am terribly tempted to just put him back in diapers, and throw my hands in the air.  This has been over a 2 month battle already.  Am I just rushing the process?  I knew when we started that even when he was doing really well we would still have occasional accidents.  Should I just take a few weeks off, and start all over?  Help I am grasping to the last threads of my sanity here.

     I have received some suggestions from mom friends, but they do not really fit our military life style.  My husband is gone at least twice a week for around 40 hours at a time.  I do not have the ability to just hand him the baby and devote multiple days to potty training.  Our first attempt at the 3 day method was over a holiday weekend when my husband had a rare 3 days off.  Now I know there are plenty of families that have similar situations that are not in the military.  So please give me all of your tips!! I will try anything once in this case. Thank you for reading this much of my insanity.